Home – Home – Jornals – Region: Economics and Sociology 2023 number 2

The article examines migration attitudes in the North Caucasus republics, which are some of Russia’s primary regions that lose population due to migration. The study aims to identify the economic and sociocultural factors that influence residents when it comes to relocating to another Russian constituent entity or country. We hypothesize that migration attitudes in the North Caucasus are linked to negative evaluations of the region’s socio-economic development dynamics and cultural factors such as the level of trust, traditionalist views, and conformity. To test these hypotheses, a representative telephone survey was conducted among 1,419 residents from Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria. The results of the regression analyses based on the data obtained demonstrate that the main factor influencing migration attitudes is socio-economic indicators associated with the possibility of self-fulfillment in the home region. Those who have a lower assessment of the quality of education and institutional environment in the region, when controlling for sociodemographic factors, were more likely to support leaving the North Caucasus. Willingness to relocate is directly related to the perception of working for a large company as an optimal life strategy, which is especially evident among young people. The analysis found that trust indicators (bonding social capital for elders and bridging social capital for youth) and traditionalist views of respondents are statistically significant and negatively affect migration attitudes. However, the analysis did not confirm the hypothesis regarding the influence of conformism and nonconformism. The study’s findings provide insight into the reasons behind North Caucasus residents’ migration and identify primary potential measures to curb the outflow of skilled labor from the region.